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(March 2, 2012) An interest in travel and a degree in international affairs have taken Jess Grogan thousands of miles away from the Forsyth County chicken farm where he was raised. His experiences have helped him learn three foreign languages, taken him to 26 countries and landed him a United Nations internship.

Jess Grogan in Morocco, one of the many countries he has visited.

Grogan is an alumnus of both Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. After earning an associate's degree in psychology at Gainesville State, Grogan transferred to North Georgia to major in political science and international affairs.

"I traveled a lot with my parents when I was younger and they were a big influence on my adventurous spirit," he said. "I chose political science because I wanted to change something for the better, even though I didn't really know what that would be. I chose international affairs because I wanted to continue traveling and to see the world while using my degree."

Grogan did more than just choose a degree in international affairs; his and other students' interest in foreign languages and cultures helped get the popular program started at North Georgia.

"Jess was one of the first students who expressed a strong interest in international affairs. It was his enthusiasm, coupled with that of other devoted students, that caused us to begin the development of the international affairs major," said Dr. Dlynn Armstrong-Williams, director of North Georgia's Center for Global Engagement and an associate professor of political science. "He also is an excellent example of a student who started his education at Gainesville State and who was attracted to the unique opportunities that North Georgia had to offer."

Grogan made the President's List, an achievement that requires a 4.0 grade point average, several times while at North Georgia. He also served as a legislative intern for former Georgia Sen. John Douglas and took part in the Governor's Youth Leadership Program among his many extracurricular activities. In 2005, he was one of 110 Freeman-Asia Scholars from across the United States chosen to study abroad in Osaka, Japan, through the International Student Exchange Program. He learned Japanese and Spanish at Gainesville State, which helped him learn Italian during his subsequent travels.

Grogan met his wife, Manuela Proni, while studying in Japan. The couple later married and lived in Bologna, Italy, where Grogan started a small business called English Communication Services through which he taught business English to working professionals in various companies and area airports. He earned a master's degree from University of Bologna in 2011 and has returned to the United States as an intern for the United Nation’s ECOSOC Support and Coordination Office at the UN Headquarters in New York, N.Y.

"I really like that they have a progressive and open attitude to the ideas which the interns bring to discussions," Grogan said. "When they give us tasks to complete, they just give us the work and trust us to show off our skills and talents without too much supervision."

Jess Grogan and his wife, Manuela Proni, currently live in New York.

Since he's not getting paid for his internship, Grogan had to shorten the six-month offer to just three months. Since employment with the U.N. is very competitive, Grogan also plans to seek a job with a charitable foundation, non-governmental organization or other non-profit group located in New York.

"Living and working in New York City is amazing, especially for a guy who grew up in rural North Georgia on a chicken farm."

He credits Armstrong-Williams with encouraging him to take part in the programs that furthered his interest in politics and the world.

"The biggest and most important lesson that I took from North Georgia, and one that really changed my life in so many ways, was from Dr. Armstrong-Williams. She taught me that colleges and universities have a wealth of services and resources which you can use to your advantage," Grogan said. "I never thought in a million years that I would study in Japan -- much less for free!  And all I had to do was go to one study abroad seminar to be convinced that it was possible.  Now, I have a beautiful Italian wife, a wealth of invaluable experience from traveling the world, and an internship at the UN which will surely set me up for success."